The contractor who will develop Great Yarmouth's third river crossing has been announced by Norfolk County Council.

Third river crossing in Great Yarmouth plan, August 2018. Photo: Norfolk County Council

BAM Farrans, a joint venture between two construction companies, BAM Nuttall and Farrans Construction, will work on the final design and construction of the bridge, which will link the A47 on the western side of the river with the port and Enterprise Zone on the eastern side.

Councillor Martin Wilby, chair of the council’s environment, development and transport committee, said: “This joint venture between two industry leaders means the project will benefit from a wealth of skills and knowledge, and an excellent track record of delivering large-scale infrastructure projects.

“This is an important milestone in our work to build the new bridge, which will bring far-reaching benefits to the town as well as Norfolk and the wider local, regional and national economy.”

John Boal, a director at BAM Nuttall, and David Parr, civil engineering director at Farrans Construction, are members of the joint venture’s management board.

An artist's impression of Great Yarmouth's third river crossing

They said: “Together we have an award-winning track record of working on successful projects of national importance and look forward to working collaboratively with Norfolk County Council and other stakeholders to deliver this strategic piece of infrastructure for the town and the east of England.”

Councillor Graham Plant, leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “Following the public consultation, this is an exciting and important next step in delivering this crucial infrastructure, which will bring significant benefits for residents, businesses and visitors, through improving traffic flows, helping to create thousands of jobs and unlocking further business, regeneration and growth opportunities.”

Norfolk County Council has said that the overall project remains on programme, with work due to start on site toward the end of next year.

BAM Farrans has developed a lifting, or bascule, bridge design, with the counterweights below deck.

The final design will be confirmed when submission of the development consent order is made to the planning inspectorate in the spring.

So far, £98m of funding from the department for transport has been awarded to the council towards the anticipated £120m cost of the project.